Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-07
Twenty Acres Enough.

tt NAV seem like a late day IN tne
history of California to again demon.
strate that the statement contained In
the caption OF this article is correct that
twenty acres of land in this State Is,
uader ordinary circumstances, sufhclent
to afford ample support for family.
Those most familiar with the history OF
California for the last fifteen years un'
derstand very we'll that there is ample
nroof of this fact, but as wide circula.
tion has recently been given to denial
thereof, and as great damage is likely TO
result in belief in this denial among
the thousands of new comers now pour
ing into this State, it may be worth
while. at the risk of citing some well
worn facts, to again demonstrate that
any intelligent. Industrious man, with a
fair knowledge of agricultural pro-
cesses. may easily earn comfortable
subsistence for himself and those de.
pendent upon him from the products OF
no more than twenty acres OF land.
It may as we'll be said just here. too,
that it is not written from theoretical
standpoint, or as seen by the over en-.
thusiastic land speculator, but from act
nal az oerience and observation of what
has be N and is now being done in thou
sands of cases in all parts OF California.
r. ;s granted that in the older settled
portions of the State, or rather III the
northern half of it, it is tar more com
mon to find farmers cultivating loO or
500 acres of land than it is to find one
coutented with twenty acres. And 1t
is granted, too. that these same farmers
on large scale often enough hnd
Il hard work to make both ends
meet from tho products Of their large
farms. But go into San Joaquin
Valley from Merced to the border Of
the Moiave desert; cross that des.
ert and examine the three southern
counties; visit the hundreds OF colony
settlements in all this vast region; meas,
urinp hundreds of miles in extent, and
It will be found that the average hold.
ing of each settler does not exceed
twenty acres. Take the colonies in
Fresno county for instance. The man
vbo owns twenty acres there, and has
twelve or fifteen of it, or for that matter,
the whole area of it set out In grapes,
has, when the vines have reached tve
gears of age, as good and sure means Of
support as the professional man in the
city who has q salary of $1,000 year, OF
AZ the farmer who raises grain on 200
acre ranch, With an acre er two in al
falfa, a garden patch, two or three acres
In orchard and fifteen acres in raisll
v;nevard. a man can raise family, sup
mort them comfortably and save money
They can do it, and it is being done now
all over the State.
Take those sections of the State where
orares. are grown. Who will deny
that tbeye Il not a comfortable income
to be derived from twenty acres OF or
auges in good bearing? Let those whe
are skeptical visit Pasadena, or River
side, or San Gabriel, or East Ban Der
nardino, or any other locality whert
good oranges are grown, and he Will
very quickly find that the lucky ownel
of q bearing orchard of twenty acres o
GOOD trees is regarded very much as
bloated bondholder. and that he is il
the enjoyment of all the comforts OF lit
that the heart may wish.
But come nearer home. Let the un
he1isyer take trip through the Sanii
CLARA valley and he will find that thos'
Iand. owners and fruit.growers who orr
making their living from twenty acres o
less Of ground are in the mojority a.
comnared with those wbo are cultivatini
more than that.
Il ia not intended to lay down az al
s.~or;able rule that man can taE
twsnty acres of naked land and make
S;v;nr from it from the start. Still, thi
can be done, as many can testify hutta Ma.s
ing vegetables and strawoerries, 1u'se nn s
and eggs. and doing work Tor ne,gneoi t;s;i
~ odd times, will 20 far toward tidin
over the three or four years that mus